Getting Hitched
by littlemissravenclaw
Summary: A series of one-shots detailing the engagements of our favorite (or not so favorite!) couples of the Harry Potter Universe. [Chapter One: Perfect; James wants to propose to Lily, but he needs it to be perfect.] Rated T for minor cursing.


Hello everyone! I'm littlemissravenclaw, but you can all call me Caity.

I love Harry Potter, and have always been interested in little moments and events that we didn't get to see, whether they be from the Marauders era, Hogwarts era, or Post-Hogwarts. I got the idea for this story at 11 at night, as I thought about how Harry would have proposed to Ginny (weird, I know). Anyway, I decided to write a whole series about the engagements of our favorite (or not so favorite) couples in the Harry Potter series!

This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction, so it might not be very good, but I hope to gain more experience and hopefully my writing skills will improve. I hope you all enjoy it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, all characters/places/etc belong to J.K. Rowling.

The ring had been sitting in the pocket of his robes for two weeks, and James could most certainly feel the weight of it.

"I just haven't found the right time to do it," he whispered to his friends; Sirius, Remus, and Peter had been interrogating him by the Gryffindor common room fireplace for the past 10 minutes.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN RIGHT TIME!?" exclaimed Sirius, who was met with curious stares from around the common room.

James glared at him. "Do you mind keeping your voice down?"

"Sorry, mate," Sirius whispered, "It's just - and not to sound morbid here - Voldemort is.. even more powerful than before and you never know what's going to happen to you or Lily or any of us. You should ask her sooner, rather than later, Prongs."

James nodded. "I understand your point, Pads, and I agree. But this is just... it's Lily, you know? I want it to be romantic and not some spur of the moment proposal. I want to do it sooner rather than later as well, but the time just isn't perfect yet.

"And Merlin," he continued, "What if she says no? What if she thinks we're too young, what if she's changed her mind about loving me, what if she-"

"Oh, shut it James," Remus chuckled, "Lily loves you just as much as you love her; you'd have to be blind not to see that. When you decide to propose, she will say yes, and you two will have a happy marriage, I guarantee it."

"You think so?" James said softly, looking at his friends.

They all nodded enthusiastically and James beamed.

The right moment didn't come until a week later.

James and Lily - being Head Boy and Head Girl - had just returned from their rounds, and were now settling down in front of their fireplace for a mug of cocoa before they both turned in for the night.

As Lily sipped her hot chocolate, James took a minute to admire her. Her red hair, down today instead of her usual ponytail, seemed to glisten because of the flames, and her green eyes were alight. She twirled a loose curl around her index finger, and her gaze was fixated on the mantle of the fireplace. James knew she was lost in thought; he also knew she had never looked more beautiful.

Lily finally tore her gaze away from the mantle and sipped her cocoa. As she pulled her mouth away from her mug, she looked over at him, shooting him a dazzling smile.

"What are you thinking about?" she questioned.

"You," James admitted, "and us." Lily turned her face from him, her cheeks turning the color of her hair.

She quickly composed herself, and met his gaze. "Oh really?" she said, her eyebrow raised, a grin playing on her lips.

"Uh huh," he countered, "And what might you be thinking about, Evans?"

"If you must know, I was thinking about us too," Lily said with a wink.

Merlin, he was in love with her.

"This is your perfect moment, mate. Don't completely fuck it up," said a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Sirius. James had to agree. "Here goes nothing," he thought.

"Lily," James said steadily, trying to calm himself. He set his mug down on the table in front of them, and moved closer to her on the couch. Capturing her hands in his, he repeated her name before asking, "You know how much I love you right?"

Lily's brows knitted together in confusion. "James, is everything.. alright?"

"Of course, of course. Just… you know right? Because Merlin, Lily, I really do."

"Of course I know James. And I love you. Really, is something wrong? You're starting to frighten me."

James smiled, and came to kneel in front of Lily.

"I'm fine Lils," he assured her as he reached down in his robes. He pulled out the tiny black box and she gasped. "Oh, James."

"Lily Evans, I've been in love with you since I was 11. I have loved you since the second I saw you, only I was too much of a prat to be a decent bloke about it. I was awful, those first few years. A right tosser. But you gave me a chance, you got to know me and... Lily, I'm so happy you did. You've changed me completely. I'm a better man, hopefully one who will be able to make you happy for the rest of our lives. I knew I needed to be with you Lily, but when we got together I discovered it was because of reasons I had never considered. For so long, I thought I knew who I was, but being with you has helped me find myself, even though I had previously never realized I was lost. I am so in love with you, with every single aspect about you. Your brains, your compassion, your sense of confidence. All of it. I know we're young Lily, and we're not perfect, and I don't want to pressure you into anything with us because of Voldemort and the war and... bloody hell, I'm rambling. What I'm trying to say here Lily is that I can't imagine spending a single second of the rest of my life without you. Will you marry me?"

Lily had tears streaming down her cheeks, and as James opened up the little black box, she let out a choked sob. James frowned.

"God, she hates me. She doesn't want this. Oh, I've messed it all up."

"Lily, I'm sorry I never should ha-"

"What are you sorry about?" she interrupted, voice shaky.

"I thought... I thought you didn't want to..."

"You thought I wouldn't want to marry you?" Lily was laughing now. "Are you daft? Of course I do! Of course I'll marry you!"

James beamed. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it! I have seen you grow into a kind, strong, thoughtful man, James. Yes, you were a prat when we first met, and sometimes you still are. But I love everything about what makes you who you are. Nothing is going to change that, and nothing is going to stop us from being happy together, especially this war and Voldemort. I love you with everything in me, James. So yes, I will marry you."

He placed the ring on her finger and kissed her passionately.

She pulled back and admired the new addition to her finger.

Smiling she told him, "It's perfect."


End file.
